Kobach Cashes In

[proud2BlibKansan]

Kobach Cashes In
Wed Aug 01, 2007 at 01:25:36 PM

<skip>

Last year, the University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor helped Mayor Lou Barletta of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, craft a first-of-its kind immigration ordinance that penalized local businesses and landlords for employing or renting to illegal immigrants. The American Civil Liberties Union sued the city, alleging that the measure was discriminatory and flew in the face of federal law. Kobach stepped in as the lead attorney to defend Hazleton.

Last week, a federal judge ruled in the ACLU’s favor, permanently barring the city from enforcing the ordinance. In a rash of TV appearances — including a press conference on the steps of Hazleton City Hall — Kobach lashed out at the judge for an “activist” decision that would surely be overturned by a federal appeals court in Philadelphia. If that fails, Kobach has said he’ll battle all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

It’s hard to blame him. Thus far, his losing effort has been pretty lucrative. Last summer, Hazleton supporters created the “Small Town Defenders” fund, an online effort to raise money from citizens around the country to pay for the city’s defense. Since then, the fund has garnered plenty of media attention (Kobach has even promoted the effort on his Sunday-evening talk show on KMBZ 980) and raised approximately $300,000.

According to a story published today by the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader newspaper, Kobach has received a big chunk of the legal-fund cash. The Times-Leader reports that the Kansas lawyer has been paid $115,210 for his services.

http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2007/08/kobach_cashes_in.php

[Mabus]

1. They really like taking care of their own

Remember he worked for the DOJ. It says a lot about him that they didn't appoint him to as a US Attorney somewhere.

[Big Unit]

2. SCAM

That's an interesting scam - encourage communities out of fear to pass unconstitutional ordinances, and then get paid hand-over-fist to defend the ordinances in court, and lose . . . Lawyers doing this kind of work ought to be required to have a contingency fee - they only get paid if the laws are determined to be constitutional.

I know at least one Lawrence attorney who might like to get in on that Kobach cash cow.